Genealogy Road Trip Tip 9: Hit the road

Tip 9: Hit the road. Part of “Genealogy Road Trip Tips: Take Your Loved Ones With You” — 30 posts in 30 days for NaBloPoMo 2016.

At last, the big day is here! The bags are packed, and you and your travel partner are ready to get going on a Genealogy Road Trip you will each remember fondly for years to come.

The bags are packed. You and your travel partner are ready to get going on a genealogy road trip you will each remember fondly for years to come — so enhance the trip by making the most of your shared travel time. By: Andy Wright

Here are some ways to take the stress out of travel and foster a spirit of camaraderie as you hit the road.

Make the journey joyous. Find some way to celebrate the launch of your new adventure together — maybe a special toast on the airplane or marveling at new sights while driving to your destination. With all the before-you-go tasks behind you, now is the time to kick back and enjoy the shared travel experience.

Discuss the destination. Bring along some info about your family history destination to share en route or when you arrive — maybe excerpts from a county history or a write-up of a commemorative event you will be attending. These can be read quietly on a flight or read aloud on a car trip, and will help you each get in the mood for your heritage quest.

Tell family stories. Some of my best memories are of ancestral stories my dad or mom told in the car while we were headed to research their hometowns. Now I wish I had written more of them down. But I still recall many of those tales and how much they added to each genealogy road trip — conjuring up my grandparents, great grandparents and extended family, almost like bringing them along on the ride.

Take time to bond.Anyone who agrees to go on a genealogy road trip with you should be regarded as a special relative or friend. They enjoy your company, support your enthusiasm for family history and have made time in their schedule to join you on your ancestral journey. Use the travel time to bond with them and let them know how much it means for you to have them along on this special trip.

Any other ideas for making the most of your travel time? Share them in the comments section.

The before-you-go tips for a genealogy road trip are now done. Up next will be tips on what to do while you’re there at your family history destination — beginning withTip 10: Travel partner meeting.

2 thoughts on “Genealogy Road Trip Tip 9: Hit the road”

Glad to have found your blog and look forward to following along! I’m a novice in terms of research but love talking about Ancestry, and I’m fortunate to have an aunt who did a lot of research on our family tree. Perhaps I’ll take on the mantle someday and further the research. 🙂

Thanks for your visit, Kristina. How wonderful that your aunt has done some research to start you off. She might be a good person to interview as a first step if you decide to move forward with your heritage quest.